Skills for Work: Career Creativity
Career Creativity is an Open Awards Skills for Work unit in which learners explore types of work and ways of working, such as employment, self-employment and freelance work, link their own interests and skills to work ideas, and develop, plan, present and evaluate a creative work idea or dream job. Each level is 20 GLH and is assessed through provider-set tasks collected in a portfolio. Digital demand is low: no criterion requires digital work, and the digital links are optional online research, presenting the idea on slides and, at Level 2, digital platforms as one way people create opportunities.
- Awarding body
- Open Awards
- Level
- Entry Level 1 to Level 2
- Guided learning hours
- 20
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of digital work
- Low
- Specification
- Open the specification
How this unit is assessed
- Entry Level 1 (CBM211), 2 credits, 20 GLH: Three learning outcomes: identify different types of work and what people do in them, identify things they like doing and a type of work they like, explore creative work ideas and share an idea about work they would like to do. Suggested tasks are matching, picture selection, pointing, role play and single-statement responses, set and marked by the provider.
- Entry Level 2 (CBM212), 2 credits, 20 GLH: Identify types of work and ways people work, identify at least two interests and two strengths, match interests to work, identify creative work ideas and describe a dream job, including what they would do. The suggested task table is a copy of the Entry Level 1 table.
- Entry Level 3 (CBM213), 2 credits, 20 GLH: Explain types of work and roles, including digital roles, outline ways of working such as freelance or project-based work, describe own interests and skills and explain how they link to work ideas, generate work ideas, explore one with creative methods such as mind maps or simple research, and present it. Tasks include labelling, creative, presentation and reflection tasks.
- Level 1 (CBM214), 2 credits, 20 GLH: Four learning outcomes: describe at least three ways of working and outline how people create opportunities, describe own skills and interests and explain how they relate to work ideas, generate at least three ideas and create a simple plan, present the idea and plan, and describe the strengths of the idea and areas for own development. Tasks include a planning task and a poster, slides or visual plan.
- Level 2 (CBM215), 2 credits, 20 GLH: Analyse at least three working models and describe how opportunities are created, including using digital platforms, analyse own skills, interests and goals and evaluate how they shape ideas, develop a detailed creative work idea, produce a structured plan, present it as a presentation, proposal or portfolio, and evaluate the plan's strengths and limitations and suggest improvements.
The digital skills in this qualification
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Researching ways of working and opportunities online
Learners use creative methods, including simple research, to explore a work idea at Entry 3, and at Level 2 a suggested research task is to explore different ways people create opportunities, such as freelancers and entrepreneurs. Open Awards lists digital research tools as an optional resource. The criteria do not require online research, so the digital part is taught, not assessed.
DCF: Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils search Careers Wales for one creative job and note three facts about it and the web address they used.
- Year 8
- Pupils research what a freelancer does by trying different search words, such as freelance graphic designer Wales, and compare what two sites say.
- Year 9
- Pupils research two people who created their own opportunity, such as a local entrepreneur, checking each source is reliable and referencing it.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Physical Resources, page 6; Assessment Approach, Level 2, page 9; Entry Level 3 AC 3.2, page 16
“Access to guest speakers, case studies, and digital research tools.”
Progression step 3
I can adjust keywords and search techniques to find relevant information.
I can begin to reference sources used in my work, and consider if content is reliable.
Progression step 4
I can search a variety of sources using relevant search techniques with increased complexity.
I can evaluate the reliability of sources of information, justify my opinions and reasons for choices, and reference using appropriate methods.
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Presenting a work idea and plan with digital tools
Learners present a work idea at Entry 3, present an idea and plan at Level 1, where Open Awards suggests a poster, slides or a visual plan, and present a structured idea and plan at Level 2 as a pitch, proposal or portfolio. The presentations are required by the criteria, but slides or other digital formats are optional, so the digital part is taught, not assessed.
DCF: Creating digital content, Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils make a one slide digital poster about their dream job with a title, a picture and three things they would do in it.
- Year 8
- Pupils storyboard a short pitch on paper and then build it as four slides, adding images and short bullet points.
- Year 9
- Pupils create a digital pitch for a small business idea, choosing layout, images and charts for an audience of local employers.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Assessment Approach, Level 1 and Level 2, page 9; Entry Level 3 AC 3.3, page 16; Level 1 AC 3.3, page 19; Level 2 AC 3.3, page 22
“Develop and present a work idea (e.g., poster, slides, visual”
Progression step 3
I can use a range of software to select, produce and edit a range of multimedia components for a purpose, such as:
- text and images, e.g. format text (bold, underline, italics, highlight); insert and edit text boxes; columns; use refine tools (spellchecker, find and replace); word wrap; crop; alter size and shape; alter images; add effects; trim and split sound and video clips; transitions; onion skin
- presentation, e.g. page orientation; animations; transitions; remove and alter images; use background; use action buttons to create hyperlink; embed objects.
I can independently create and plan work before beginning a digital task.
Progression step 4
I can select and use a variety of appropriate software, tools and techniques to create, modify and combine multimedia components for a range of audiences and purposes, such as:
- text and images, e.g. explore and use effectively image manipulation techniques; explore and use appropriately the many aspects of document layout; use animation, video and audio effects such as echo, tempo, envelope, layering, frame rate, key frames
- presentation, e.g. use design tools; adapt themes and colours to suit the purpose; create master templates.
I can select and effectively use a variety of planning techniques.
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Recognising digital roles and digital routes to work
At Entry 3 learners explain types of work including digital roles and describe their skills including digital skills, and at Level 2 they describe how people create opportunities, for example by identifying gaps or using digital platforms and building networks. The Entry 3 content says learners must include these, while the Level 2 platforms are an example, so the assessed part is understanding digital work rather than using a platform.
DCF: Health and well-being, Identity, image and reputation
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils sort job cards into digital and non digital roles and say how technology has changed one of the non digital jobs.
- Year 8
- Pupils look at how a craft maker sells work online and list the benefits and risks of selling through a website or social media.
- Year 9
- Pupils plan how they would present themselves professionally online to find freelance work, deciding what to share and what to keep private.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Entry Level 3 AC 1.1 and AC 2.1, page 16; Level 2 AC 1.2, page 22
“identifying gaps or using digital platforms”
Progression step 3
I can identify the wider positive and negative influences of technology, e.g. on my life, on society, on the environment.
I can think critically about information shared online, e.g. the impact of sharing images and videos, metadata of images and videos.
Progression step 4
I can discuss the benefits and risks of presenting myself in different ways online.
I can understand that I have a digital footprint and that this information can be searched, copied and passed on.
Good to know
- Every level is 2 credits and 20 GLH, with unit codes CBM211 (Entry 1) to CBM215 (Level 2) (Unit Content, pages 10, 13, 15, 18 and 21), matching the Level 1 Qualification Guide (Qualification Units, page 21).
- Only one level counts towards a qualification: "with the exception of British Sign Language (BSL), units with the same title at different levels are barred for completion within the same qualification" (Qualification Guide, Qualification Units, page 16).
- Assessment is set by the school and every criterion must be met: the suite is "assessed through assessment tasks and activities designed by the provider" and "No partial award can be made if any assessment criteria is not met" (Assessment Approach, page 7).
- Evidence goes in a portfolio that "can be presented digitally (e.g., through an e-portfolio system) or as paper-based", and "Wherever possible, e-portfolios are encouraged" (Assessment Approach, page 7). Tasks need pre-course verification and are checked by internal and then Open Awards external quality assurance.
- Neither the unit specification nor the Level 1 Qualification Guide says anything about AI tools, so the school's own malpractice and authentication rules apply.
- Digital resources are optional: creative resources include "digital tools (if available)", and optional resources are "Access to guest speakers, case studies, and digital research tools" (Physical Resources, page 6).
- Recorded evidence is allowed: "audio-visual recording equipment could be used to support capture of evidence and quality assurance" (Physical Resources, page 6), which suits role play and presentations.
- Some parts look unfinished: the Entry Level 2 assessment task table is a copy of the Entry Level 1 table (pages 7 and 8), the Entry Level 2 progression statement reads "Progress step 2-I can use single and multi-clause sentences." (page 13), Entry Level 3 AC 1.1 says "Learners must explain describe a range of work types" (page 16), and Level 1 and Level 2 label learning outcome 3 as "L03" (pages 19 and 22).
Links with other qualifications
The Pearson Career creativity unit is also 20 GLH but is built around one dream job, a skills audit and a timed development plan, while the Open Awards unit is about generating and planning a creative work idea and looks more at ways of working such as freelance and portfolio careers. Digital demand is low in both. The unit supports GCSE Business, especially enterprise and self-employment, and Careers and Work-Related Experiences, and Open Awards maps it to the Humanities statement on enquiry and exploration. It overlaps with Open Awards Exploring Career Pathways and Working in Wales, so a school should check that job research is not repeated across them.
Source: Open Awards Skills for Work Unit Specification, Career Creativity, Entry Level 1 to Level 2.